New Political Realignment?

What ideologies do you associate with the Democratic and Republican parties?

Growing up in the 1960s and 1970s it seemed pretty simple to me. Democrats stood for massive investment in the public interest. From Franklin Roosevelt to Lyndon Johnson, they invested in big infrastructure projects. And invested in human needs with Head Start, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Johnson expanded Roosevelt’s New Deal programs to include minorities, especially Blacks. The Democratic Party became the party of civil rights.

Republicans stood for cutting government spending and taxes. They opposed civil rights legislation and wanted to transfer power from the Federal government to the states.

The Republican Party talked up the threat of Communism. Democrats were on the defensive and often supported wars and interventions to avoid being called “soft on Communism.”

But under Carter and Clinton the Democratic Party became the old Republican Party. They were all about cutting government spending and balancing the budget. Carter talked about moving from fossil fuels to sustainable energy, but he offered utterly inadequate resources to the effort.

This shift moved the Republicans further to the right. Reagan wanted to end all of government except for the military. He was only constrained by a Democratic Congress.

What realignment is happening now? Trump has revived Reagan’s passion for destroying government, but with no constraints.

Democrats returned to supporting government investment in the future under Biden. But they also got sidetracked with what I would call fringe issues. Civil rights used to be primarily about equal opportunity for Black people, who suffered under the long legacy of slavery and economic, educational and housing discrimination.

But in recent years this program of equal opportunity turned into something else. It turned into a festival of ever more fragmented identity groups listing their grievances and asking for their time in the spotlight.

I think Biden made a serious mistake when he announced early in his candidacy that he would pick a woman vice president. It was great that he did pick a woman. But making it an identity issue meant there would always be doubts about whether he picked the best person for the job.

I know people who hated almost everything about Trump. But they liked that he would end the negative side of DEI and “woke” culture that had taken over the Democratic Party.

This is a moment when Democrats can decide what they most want to support. I recently attended a planning meeting after the enormous April 5 “Hands Off” rally. One trans woman said she didn’t like the idea that trans people might be “thrown under the bus.” A woman sitting next to her replied: “It is not about throwing anyone under the bus. It is about what foot do you lead with.”

Bernie Sanders is touring the country now, drawing huge crowds in the middle of Trump country. For most of his career he has stayed focused on economic issues that unite 99% of Americans. Putting those issues in front is a winning strategy.

After Russia invaded Ukraine and again after Hamas attacked Israel, I found it hard to talk to many of my activist friends. That was when I felt the realignment. Republicans were suddenly the party of making nice with Russia and Democrats were about strong military support to Ukraine. Many Democrats became more critical of Israel than of the terrorists who attacked them and who still hold innocent hostages.

The Republican Party has become a cult of Trump. They just stand for lawlessly destroying Government For the People. And terrorizing immigrants. Republicans no longer care about the Constitution or due process. Democrats have become the party of law and Constitutional order.

Biden revived the best of the Democratic Party tradition when he secured hundreds of billions of dollars to invest in good jobs for the future; in sustainable energy and for the cutting edge of chip manufacturing. He expanded subsidies for health care to help the middle class and not just those in extreme poverty.

I think a realignment is possible that can secure a better future for our country if the Democratic Party can stay focused on that vision.